Hair curler and starter



y 1968 B. M. STEVENS 3,381,693

HAIR CURLER AND STARTER Filed April 13, 1964 IN VEN TOR.

Bern/be M .S/evens BY @MG. 1x2

United States Patent HAIR CURLER AND STARTER Bernice M. Stevens, 4175 Verdugo View Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. 90065 Filed Apr. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 359,211 3 Claims. (Cl. 132-34) This invention relates to a hair curler and starter for use with the curler.

One type of hair curler which is commonly in use at the present time comprises a hollow elongated plastic cylinder. Most of these curlers have smooth exterior surfaces so as not to injure the scalp of the user. It is accordingly difiicult to Wind the hair around the curler because there is nothing to grip the air firmly and prevent it from slipping with respect to the curler. Such curlers can accordingly be used only when the hair is extremely wet.

An effort has been made to solve this problem by providing projections, points, corrugations or similar hair gripping means formed integrally on or carried by the exterior of the curler to improve its hair gripping ability. The difiiculty with such curlers is that it is impossible for the user to sleep with them in the hair or even to lean her head against a surface without causing pain or discomfort from contact between the hair gripping means and the scalp.

It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to overcome this problem by providing a new and improved hair curler and starter which are adapted to be used in combination with each other in order to provide advantages and benefits not found in the present devices.

In essence, my invention contemplates a generally oblong or cylindrical hair curler which may in its simplest form comprise a single piece of plastic material and which preferably has a completely smooth exterior which can not cause discomfort by contact with the scalp. The hair curler is provided with one or more openings of any desired configuration and location. A hair starter is inserted into the curler before the curl isformed. The starter is provided with comparatively rough hair engaging means such as brushes, projections, etc., which project outwardly beyond the outer surface of the curler through the openings.

The outwardly projecting gripping means permit the hair to be easily gripped and wound around the curler, even when the hair is dry or comparatively dry. When the curl has been formed, the starter is withdrawn from the curler, leaving only its smooth surface, which can be brought into contact with the scalp without discomfort or injury to the user.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide a hair curler and starter having all of the advantages and benefits of the structure set forth-above and described in detail hereinafter in this specification.

Another object of my invention is to provide a hair curler and starter which are simple and economical to manufacture, so that they are capable of widespread sale and use.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hair curler and starter which are extremely simple and rapid to use and which are more effective and efiicient than those which are now in use.

My invention also comprises such other objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and which are inherently possessed by my invention.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments of my invention, it should be under stood that the same are susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawings:

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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my hair starter and curler prior to insertion of the starter into the curler;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the curler and starter, with the curler partly broken away and shown in section and with the starter being inserted into the curler;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the curler and a side elevational view of the starter, with the starter fully inserted into the curler;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same, taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

A preferred embodiment which has been selected to illustrate my invention comprises a hair curler having an elongated hollow cylindrical body member 10, which may be formed of plastic or other suitable material. The body member 10 is preferably open at one or both ends. The body member 10- is provided with two pairs of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending elongated slots 11. The inside of the body member 10 is preferably provided with beveling 12 along both sides of the slots 11, in order to facilitate the insertion of the hair gripping means of the starter through the slots 11. The number, type and arrangement of the slots or other openings may, of course, be varied as desired by the manufacturer.

A starter for use with the curler comprises a pair of elongated arms 13 and 14, which maybe formed of plastic or any other suitable material. The inner end of the arm 13 is provided with the yoke 15, which fits around a complementarily formed boss 16 on the outer end of the other arm 14. A pivot pin 17 extends through the aligned openings in the yoke 15 and boss 16 to secure the inner ends of the arms 13 and 14 in pivotal relationship to each other.

The arms 13 and 14 are bent or oflset inwardly toward each other at 18 and 19 respectively. Their free outer ends 20 and 241 respectively carry hair gripping means comprising a plurality of bristles 22 and 23 respectively. The bases of the bristles 22 and 23 are secured in the outer ends 20 and 21 of the arms 13 and 14, while the outer ends of the bristles are free. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the bristles 22 and 23 are arranged in a straight line and are designed to extend through the slots 11 of the curler.

The insides of the arms 13 and 14 are provided with inwardly directed elongated integral ribs 24 and 25 respectively, which taper from the inner ends of the arms 13 and 14 to the offset bends 18 and 19. The ribs 24 and 25 terminate with integral enlargements 26 and 27, which are disposed directly adjacent to the offset bends 18 and 19.

A substantially V-shaped wire spring 28 is bent so that its narrow center is directed toward the pivotally joined ends of the arms 13 and 14. The ends of the spring 28 are bent outwardly at a right angle to extend into openings in the enlargements 26 and 27.

The spring 28 exerts pressure which normally urges the arms 13 and 14 away from each other, so that the distance between the free ends of the bristles 22 and 23 is somewhat greater than the diameter of the curler body 10. The free outer ends 20 and 21 of the arms 13 and 14 can be brought closer together by manual pressure on the mid-portions of the arms 13 and 14, inwardly from the offset bends 18 and 19. This can easily be done by placing the thumb on the outside of one arm and a finger on the outside of the other arm.

In use, the starter is preferably first inserted into the curler. This is done by compressing the arms 13 and 14 toward each other in the manner described, against the urging of the spring 28, until the distance between the outer ends of the bristles 22 and 23 is somewhat less than the inner diameter of the curler member 10. The bristle carrying outer ends 20 and 21 of the arms 13 and 14 are 3 then inserted into the curler body member through the end thereof.

The curler and starter are oriented with respect to each other so that the bristles 22 and 23 are substantially aligned with one pair of slots 11 in the curler body member 10. The manual pressure on the inner ends of the arms 13 and 14 is then released, permitting their outer ends and 21 to move outwardly until they engage the inside of the body member 10. The beveling 12 facilitates the insertion of the bristles 22 and 23 through the slots 11 to a position in which they project outwardly beyond the outer periphery of the body member 10.

The spring 28 is preferably still under some tension, so that it acts to maintain the curler and starter in the positions described. The offset bends 18 and 19 may act as stop means to limit the inward longitudinal movement of the curler with respect to the starter.

The device is now ready for use on the hair. The bristles 22 and 23 which project outwardly from the outer periphery of the curler are adapted to engage and hold the outer ends of the hair while the curler is rotated toward the scalp to form the curl.

It should be noted that the inner ends of the arms 13 and 14 provide handle means remote from the hair and curler for holding and rotating the curler while the curl is being formed.

When the hair has been completely wound around the curler, one or more suitable clips are used to hold the hair to the curler. The starter is then removed from the curler by squeezing the inner ends of the arms 13 and 14 together against the pressure of the spring 28 to withdraw the bristles 22 and 23 into the curler body member 10. The starter is then moved longitudinally to withdraw it from the curler body member 10.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the material from which the curler and starter are formed and their details of structure andconfiguration may be varied as desired without departing from the teachings of the invention. The shape and contour of the curler may be varied and any suitable opening means may be provided, it being essential only that the hair engaging means carried by the starter is so constructed and arranged as to project outwardly from the outer periphery of the curler when the starter is in use.

I claim:

1. A hair curler and starter, said starter being removable from said curler and re-usable with a plurality of said curlers, said curler having an elongated hollow cylindrical body member, said body member having at least one pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending elongated slots, said starter having a pair of elongated arms pivotally connected at one end thereof, the opposite free ends of said arms carrying a plurality of bristles, a substantially V-shaped wire spring connected at its opposite ends to said arms adjacent the midportion thereof, said spring having its center directed toward the pivotally joined ends of said arms, said spring urging said arms apart from each other and into engagement with the inside of said body member adjacent to said slots, so that said bristles extend through said slots and protrude substantially outwardly from the outer periphery of said body member to engage and hold the outer ends of the hair to facilitate winding the hair around said curler, said spring being under tension to hold said arms in said position within said curler, said arms adapted to be compressed against the urging of said spring to move said arms together and retract said bristles inwardly so that the overall diameter of the bristle carrying ends of said arms is less than the inside diameter of said body member, to permit the free insertion and removal of the bristle carrying ends of said arms through said body member so that said curler may be left in the hair while said starter is removed from said curler and successively inserted into and removed from a plurality of said curlers to facilitate Winding the hair around said curlers.

2. The structure described in claim 1, said curler having four slots spaced degrees from each other around said body member.

3. A hair curler and starter, said starter being removable from said curler and re-useable with a plurality of said curlers, said curler having an elongated hollow cylindrical body member, said body member having at least one pair of diametrically opposed longitudinally extending elongated slots, said starter having a pair of elongated arms pivotally connected at one end thereof, the opposite free ends of said arms carrying a plurality of bristles, resilient means connected to said arms, said resilient means urging said arms apart from each other and into engagement with the inside of said body member adjacent to said slots, so that said bristles extend through said slots and protrude substantially outwardly from the outer periphery of said body member to engage and hold the outer ends of the hair to facilitate winding said hair around said curler, said arms adapted to be compressed against the urging of said resilient means to move said arms together and retract said bristles inwardly so that the overall diameter of the bristle carrying ends of said arms is less than the inside diameter of said body memher, to permit the free insertion and removal of the bristle carrying ends of said arms through said body member so that said curler may be left in the hair while said starter is removed from said curler and successively inserted into and removed from a plurality of said curlers to facilitate winding the hair around said curlers.

References (Iited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,956,660 5/ 1934 Tansey 132-31 2,244,068 6/1941 Kay 132-123 2,719,527 10/1955 Solomon 13233 3,148,685 9/1964 Haynes et al 132-123 3,205,901 9/1965 Moore 13240 L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Examiner. 

3. A HAIR CURLER AND STARTER, SAID STARTER BEING REMOVABLE FROM SAID CURLER AND RE-USEABLE WITH A PLURALITY OF SAID CURLERS, SAID CURLER HAVING AN ELONGATED HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL BODY MEMBER, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING ELONGATED SLOTS, SAID STARTER HAVING A PAIR OF ELONGATED ARMS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF, THE OPPOSITE FREE ENDS OF SAID ARMS CARRYING A PLURALITY OF BRISTLES, RESILIENT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ARMS, SAID RESILIENT MEANS URGING SAID ARMS APART FROM EACH OTHER AND INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE INSIDE OF SAID BODY MEMBER ADJACENT TO SAID SLOTS, SO THAT SAID BRISTLES EXTEND THROUGH SAID SLOTS AND PROTRUDE SUBSTANTIALLY OUTWARDLY FROM THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BODY MEMBER TO ENGAGE AND HOLD THE OUTER ENDS OF THE HAIR TO FACILITATE WINDING SAID HAIR AROUND SAID CURLER, SAID ARMS ADAPTED TO BE COMPRESSED AGAINST THE URGING OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS TO MOVE SAID ARMS TOGETHER AND RETRACT SAID BRISTLES INWARDLY SO THAT THE OVERALL DIAMETER OF THE BRISTLE CARRYING ENDS OF SAID ARMS IS LESS THAN THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID BODY MEMBER, TO PERMIT THE FREE INSERTION AND REMOVAL OF THE BRISTLE CARRYING ENDS OF SAID ARMS THROUGH SAID BODY MEMBER SO THAT SAID CURLER MAY BE LEFT IN THE HAIR WHILE SAID STARTER IS REMOVED FROM SAID CURLER AND SUCCESSIVELY INSERTED INTO AND REMOVED FROM A PLURALITY OF SAID CURLERS TO FACILITATE WINDING THE HAIR AROUND SAID CURLERS. 